Mauve
by Kishes
Summary: An upcoming anthology or collection of one-shots starring your favorite pink and purple pairing, but there's a twist. It's not all romance!
1. Amnesia

Inspired by Nathanial Hawthorne's _The Scarlet Letter_, Megurine Luka wanted to write a drama romance novel with the main protagonist suffering from scandalous adultery and unbearable solitude.

It _would _have been a perfect day.

A magnificent day if she locked all her doors

A superb day if she changed her identity to Jane Doe.

And a super-sugoi-tastic day if he never existed in her life!

But no,

Life doesn't work that way for Miss Luka.

It won't work because of him.

"LUKA! I'M HOME!"

Wahhh...

Eyes rolled when she saw him skip to her.

_Is he the sparkly fairy princess from the land of sugar and marshmallow poop?_

"How are thee be-eth?" Gakupo dramatically asked and kneeled with one leg.

She groaned, "Go RP elsewhere."

"Nonsense, lovely lady friend!" he cried out. "I am to be-eth assist thee with thy work."

"No thanks."

Being the overly hyperactive, helpful fellow he was, he asked-no, pitifully groveled, "Can I help you, Luka-chan?"

"Just get me a decaf soy latte," she groaned, rubbing my temples from the building tension in her skull. _That ought to hold him off._

"Anything for you, my love!" the purple-haired man chirped.

_Gag..._Luka warily thought as Gakupo dashed to his highlighter yellow poncho from the coat hanger. _Since when did he bring that? _"I'll be back in ten minutes!" She let out a sigh of relief once she heard the door slam shut. _Finally, it's just my laptop and I in peace!_

.

.

.

_Where the hell is my latte?_

She waited

She gritted her teeth.

She snarled loudly out of frustration.

_He should have been back with my steaming cup of decaf soy latte an hour ago! How hard is it to order a tall latte from Starbucks that's three blocks from here? It's not even rush hour!_ The pink-haired woman fumed.

She tapped her foot impatiently. _Thanks to his lateness, I can't finish my blog without a hot drink and I am most certainly not moving to make myself boiled tap water. It's just gross. If he isn't here within twenty minutes, I'm hunting his____**derrière**__down..._

.

.

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_He's a dead man, _she seethed between her teeth.

.

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.

Luka grumbled as she fumbled with the zipper of her hoodie. As soon as she got dressed, she opened the door to greet a gust of wind and water. _I think I understand why it's taking so long, _the pink-haired woman thought as she was getting cold feet. No-wait, it was from the rain seeping into her loafers.

Tightening the strings of her hoodie to enclose her small face, she forced herself to stride through the storm with hands shoved in her pockets. Squinting, Luka could see the simultaneous flashes of red and blue a few houses down. As she stomped to be near, she noticed more people crowding around something. She shoved a middle-aged man out of her way for he was taking up most of the scene with his palooka of a rump, but she gawked at the incoming sight (not at that hippopotonormous booty.)

His hands were folded over his still chest and he was still wearing that obscene raincoat of his. Those eyes of his were closed. She won't see his beautiful eyes that were shimmering amethyst – or azure? _Okay forget his eye color for he's… in a better place now._

Nah, the paramedic informed to her that he was unconscious.

"What happened?" she asked over the howling of the wind.

"I can answer that," an unfamiliar woman claimed. "You know this man?" she pointed to Gakupo's body.

"Unfortunately, I do."

"I saw him walking down the street through my window. He was skipping and holding a latte, but then he tripped because of his untied shoe laces and spilled it."

A stress vein appeared on the side of her forehead. _My latte!_

"He looked pretty distressed while he was tying his shoes when he kneeled," she explained. "And that's when it hit him."

"What did?"

"Why the lightning, of course," she simply replied.

"He got electrocuted?" the pink-haired asked, aghast.

"No," she shook her head. "It struck a tree branch, which knocked him out."

Mentally, Luka sighed out of relief. "How long has he been out cold?"

"Oh I'd say about a good thirty minutes," the woman rubbed her chin. "Maybe forty, but he hasn't come to since I called them."

She turned my head to the light tap on her shoulder. "Miss, I don't see any visible injuries on him," the paramedic explained. "Would you like us to escort both of you back home?"

"Fine." _What lazy emergency medical service._

.

.

.

What made things worse was that _they _were home.

.

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.

"We leave for not even two hours to come back because of a plane delay and see a Vocaloid out cold that doesn't belong to our company?" Meiko ranted. _Somebody's cranky and needs their afternoon alcohol drink…_

"It's not my fault that he suddenly decides to make his way here," Luka defended.

The brunette rubbed her temples and said, "Look, there's already tension between Crypton and Internet Co. Ltd. How will I explain this to Gumi that Gakupo got knocked out while getting you a latte?"

"That's all you have to tell her because that's what exactly happened!" She growled and Luka must have been extremely loud for the purple-haired man woke up and was groaning in pain.

Miku was first to respond by hovering to his side to aid. "Gaku-nii, are you okay?" Miku asked, concerned.

"You're pretty cute," he simply said.

A blush was formed on the teal-haired girl's cheeks and shock slapped their faces. _Did he just compliment Miku who is like a bazillion years his junior? Even Gakupo's older than me!_

"You should lie down," Rin recommended and patted his shoulder.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have gorgeous eyes?" he commented and looked seriously at the young blonde. _He's turning into a pedophile!_

Len was the first to act upon this by shouting, "Gakupo, are you really alright?"

"I'm okay I guess?" he looked puzzled. "Who's Gakupo?" For once Luka believed him.

"Wait, you don't know who you are?" Kaito inquired, raising a brow.

Gakupo shook his head. "Not a clue."

"You know who I am?" Meiko asked.

He nodded and winked, "You're Meiko." Then he pointed to the others. "You're Miku, Rin, Len, Kaito, and… I'm not really sure about you." Once she saw that frown on his face, she scowled. _How dare he say that to my face!_

"That's Luka," Meiko explained, slightly confused.

"Sounds like a dude's name."

_Say what?_ The pink-haired woman curled her fists tightly.

"You don't know who she is?" Len poked Gakupo's head. "Have you gone bonkers, bro? She's all you ever talk about!"

"Really? I don't see anything special about her," he bluntly answered. _How can you say that about my luscious pink locks? _"She's not that pretty. Pink hair scares me."

_YOU DISSED MY HAIR?_

All the juniors gasped while Meiko and Kaito stared wide-eyed at Luka.

"Is there something wrong?" Gakupo asked innocently, snuggling close to Miku. _She has aqua-colored hair and that's not scary for you?_

"Oh… no," Meiko quickly covered. "Excuse us for a sec." She gestured all of the Vocaloids, except Gakupo to huddle up. Once together in a group, she whispered, "There's something really off about him."

"Yeah, how could he reject onee-chan?" Len asked, worried.

"And why is he hitting on us?" Rin pouted, still slightly blushing.

_Get the damn road roller, Rin!_ Luka thought as she wrapped a strand of her hair with her finger anxiously.

"I have a hypothesis," Kaito announced. "I think he has amnesia."

"I understand if he forgets himself, but forgetting Luka as well?" Miku was just as confused.

"Amnesia is never specific on what to forget," the blue-haired man shrugged.

"Poor Gaku-nii," Miku whispered softly. "Poor Luka onee-chan." She looked at her with pity.

That was when Luka decided to step in. "He's clearing faking this."

"We don't know for sure and we can't send him back like this," Meiko stated as she frowned. "Since it was your fault he got into this, you're in charge of him."

"No way."

"Luka, you have to," Kaito beckoned. "Look at him, how could he forget you?"

"Maybe he isn't," she sharply implied.

"Just watch over him," Meiko sighed. "We'll be leaving again in a few more minutes."

"You're leaving again?" Luka gawked at the brunette.

"Hell yes, we are. We certainly do not want to be stuck around here when he doesn't improve." They all nodded in agreement.

She felt the heat rising to her face. "Mei-"

"Meiko-chan! I want a blanket. I'm so cold!" Gakupo whined. "Could you, Miku-chan and Rin-chan all huddle around me to keep me warm? You can join us too if you want?" He turned his head and gestured indifferently to Luka.

She glared daggers at him.

"What an intimidating look!" he feigned a shiver. "Such a stare belongs to a _youba_!"

Luka's eye twitched.

A stress vein the size of a yam twitched.

Did he just call _her_ a hag?

Her knuckles turned white.

Meiko noticed this right away. "Okay, break it up, you two."

_He looks so damn conceited and nonchalant when he isn't hitting on me. I loathe you, Kamui!_

"Now I know we're all confused, but Luka is in charge of Gakupo until he recovers."

"I still refuse!"

"Luka, listen to me," Meiko's voice suddenly became stern. "He needs someone to stay with him. We can't just abandon him at his state. The company will get sued and all that we cherish will end because of lack of funding."

"You mean your sake?"

"Exactly, we will lose my sake, Miku's leeks, Kaito's ice cream, Len and Rin's favorite fruits, and of course you won't get your tuna."

_My… TUNA?_

"Fine," the pink-haired woman scoffed, turning her head the other way. _No one gets between me and tuna…_

"Then we'll catch you love birds later!" Meiko and the other Vocaloids somehow escaped with their baggage in less than ten seconds.

Gakupo whined, "Aww, why do Miku-chan and the others leave?" The way she said the teal-haired girl's name made Megurine Luka flinched.

"They're going on a cruise."

He pouted and asked, "Why didn't you go with them?"

"I have to finish my novel," Luka bluntly replied before she resumed typing her story.

"What can I do?" Gakupo sulked.

"Go read the entire Series of Unfortunate Events, watch Jersey Shore, take a cat nap, and don't bother me," Luka replied without taking her eyes from the screen. Just then the phone ringed and she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Where's Gakupo?" a female voice demanded. _Typical, paranoid Gumi._

She lied, "I don't have a clue of what you're saying."

"Don't lie to me, Megurine-san," Gumi sighed. "I know that idiotic brother of mine is over there while serenading his heart out to you."

Well she's partially correct, Luka mused as Gakupo was playing with a strand of his hair. Then she said, "He probably got a flat tire or ran out of gas on his way here. I honestly haven't seen that purple pompous Pinocchio all day."

"You better be right about that," the skeptic green haired girl warned dangerously. "Or else your company will have more on their plate than what they expected." She heard the click of the phone being hanged up.

"Who was that on the phone?" Gakupo asked with somewhat of an amused tone in his voice.

As monotonous as she could be, Luka replied, "Your companion, Gumi."

"Is she... cute?" His query made her upper lip quiver. He continued, "If she is, I want to talk to her!"

"Hell no," Luka fumed before she tackled the startled purple-haired man and then tied him up like cattle with the myriad number of USB cables from her desk. She then threw him on the couch. "Gumi cannot know about your state. She'll sue us."

"Untie me now, Megurine-san!" he cried out. Her heart throbbed at the formality, but she remained stoic to his complaints and fusses. Taking a seat beside his tied body, she continued working diligently on her novel with Dir En Grey mesmerizing her ears through the headphones. _The voice of Kyo shall seduce me to oblivion. Huzzuh for Saku!_

.

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Thirty minutes later...

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.

Even though the ear splitting sound of growling and screaming emitted from her headphones blocked out Gakupo's petty pleas, Luka was still distracted by his shakes and turns. She groaned, "Would you quit fidgeting?"

"Well I'm capable of doing so, but I don't feel like it," he grunted and continued to writhe out his frustration, trying to escape from his binds. "You know, I don't know what I saw in you. I mean you're not pretty, I certainly don't want to be with you everyday, and most of all I don't like you at all." His words definitely stung her, but the pink-haired woman persisted with a poker face.

Despite the growing lump in her throat that she tried to swallow, she managed to spit out, "Screw you." _Damn it..._

He noticed this right away with an incredulous look on his face. "Hey, are you crying?" He sat up to observe her pain contorted face, but she glared at him with tears brimming around her eyes before giving the purple-haired man the silent treatment. However he was determined to keep asking her as she was ignoring him while typing her novel with cold eyes. _He's gone. He's gone forever, I- I hate-!_

Then he did something different. Gakupo inquired, "Can I help you, Luka-chan?" To his surprise, her lips crashed onto his. The force of her body knocked him to lie flat on his back. He was aware of Luka's longing as she deepened the kiss and he certainly wasn't oblivious to the tears running from her closed eyes.

Slowly he watched them open and flutter to large, wet ocean blue eyes, framed by dark, spider-like lashes. His cheeks flustered to the same shade as Luka's agitated and embarrassed face.

Astonished by her sheer beauty and fierce nature of her kiss, he only breathed out, "I didn't expect this to go so far." He touched the bruise forming on his lips.

She raised a brow to his vague answer.

"I never meant to hurt you, Luka-chan," Gakupo apologized with a sad, yet sincere smile. "I never did forget you nor would I ever want to."

The pink-haired woman's face remained unfazed by his words. Despite his arms being pinned above his head, he pecked her softly on the cheek. "I faked my amnesia because I wanted to see if you cared about me. I'm terribly sorry for tricking you.

"I'm also sorry for insulting and annoying you so many times and most of all, those things I said are true." He nodded when he heard her gasp.

"I don't think you're pretty because you are truly beautiful," he admitted sorrowfully. "And I don't want to stay by your side every day. I want to stay by your side forever."

To this, the pink-haired woman only cried and buried her head into his chest. He continued, "And finally, I don't like you because I-I love you, Megurine Luka."

"…"

"Luka, please say something." The purple-haired man begged.

"... So all of this was... a joke?" her small voice asked in a muffled tone.

He nodded his head regretfully and said, "Yes, do... you forgive me?" She looked up at him with her large, clear innocent eyes and kissed him passionately on the lips. The warmth of her cheeks spread to his face as he was invited by her feverish temperature. To this, Luka ravaged the inside of his mouth to taste the familiar tang of eggplant. Gakupo swore he felt her tugging smirk against his tongue intertwined with hers. Biting down the sensitive tip of his flesh, he let out a surprised yelp of pain as a speck of his blood touched her lips.

"L-Luka?" he stuttered when she withdrew from him and licked the vital crimson liquid. The pain of his punctured wound upon his tongue throbbed along with his pacing heart.

She flashed an irresistible, twisted smile that made Gakupo shudder. The pink-haired woman chuckled darkly, "Not yet, Gaku-kun."

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_You will never know the way I feel._

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* * *

**A/N** - This anthology contains different situations that happen to involve Gakupo and Luka. Some are romance, drama, horror, suspense or any genre that I may experiment with. This collection will contain content from stories as extra bonus sides or even have content from fanfics from this site (with the author's permisson of course.) It will possibly contain basically ANYTHING so look forward to the randomness and never constant anthology of "Mauve."

Please review what do you think of the different ideas I present throughout here. Thank you.


	2. Unmei no Akai Ito

Stealthy steps strode towards the small shop with streaky windows out front. A man of thirty two brushed his fine, violet bangs back from his eyes to make sure he saw the correct address on the door. _184, _he thought, grimacing at the architect of the building. It looked like it would collapse if a simple windstorm were to appear. Grunting, he pulled the tarnished brass handle to enter into a musty tailors' shop with a velvet bundle held close to his side. Scrutinizing his sapphire colored eyes, he observed the lobby was left the same way he saw it when he first visited this place by mistake. The clutter of objects being moved caught his attention when the gentleman also noticed the silhouette of a person in the backroom.

"Is anyone here?" he called out impatiently and rang the small bell that was already collecting dust on the counter. He mustn't waste so much time dawdling around especially with his rendezvous on the line.

Faint paces and the clatter of strung beads were heard. He turned his head to see an indifferent young woman with long salmon pink hair that was tied in a loose braided ponytail. She was peering through the strands of beads. However the shadow was casted on the upper part of her face and she offered in a low voice that he could barely hear, "Can I help you?"

Frustrated by being unable to see her face, he introduced himself, "I'm Kamui Gakupo. I called a few hours ago to ask if you could mend a suit of mine." He hesitated for a moment when she decided to come out of her hiding place. Gakupo could see that she had a fair complexion of visibly flawless ivory skin that seemed to be glowing under the dim light. Her thin peach colored lips formed a tight line as though she was anxious of his presence. He continued to observe her small gestures of tucking a simple lock of hair behind her ear to smoothing the creases on her cotton apron over her knee length maroon calico frock. From her structure and voice, she had to be no more than twenty years old, but what certainly forced his eyes to be unable to pull away from her features were the layers of bandages. Strips of recently changed gauze were wrapped around where her eyes would be to the back of her head.

"My phone isn't working at the moment," she admitted, unaware of the purple-haired man still staring at her. "What type of suit is it?"

"I need my tuxedo to be adjusted in size." His eyes scanned for a name of small print on the letters all over the counter. Then he asked, "Where's the owner... Megurine-san."

She took a pause before answering, "I am the owner." Gesturing to the short stool on the other side of the room, she said, "There's a closet next to it. I'll be there right away." The woman disappeared into the other room, leaving the purple-haired man utterly confused.

_How can she know this entire place without seeing?_ Gakupo pondered. He then obeyed to wear his tux before standing on the stool. As he stood upon it, he couldn't help, but think the difference in their height. He was at least a foot taller than her and with the extra six inches from the stool; could she really be able to reach to the collar or the sleeves? His queries were interrupted when she appeared with a lightweight sewing kit. Placing the kit in the front pocket of her apron, she took out a small case containing a variety of needles and a spool of white thread. Carefully choosing a medium length, she miraculously was able to put through the thread though without difficulty as many seem to have.

"Are you able to see?" he blurted. He nervously watched her raise her head to where his face was and shook her head.

"I haven't been able to see for five years," she quietly replied as she began making the adjustments. Gakupo could feel the fabric was becoming more slender against his skin as it was actually forming around his shape rather than hanging off his body. Then the pink-haired woman whispered, "I wasn't always like this." However Gakupo didn't know how to respond to her statement and merely allowed her to work attentively on his pants leg for the time being.

Once two hours passed, he felt his legs were stiff from standing in one place for so long. That was when she pinned her needle into the edge of her apron. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she stood up and walked back as if to admire her work from afar.

The purple-haired woman pondered how the blind woman was able to see her own work, but decided he was a customer and didn't need to know her personal story.

"How do the pants feel?" she questioned.

"I feel much better in them. The length is good," Gakupo praised as he was astonished by her skill. "Is there any way you can finish the entire suit today?"

To this the pink-haired woman shook her head and replied, "This can take a few days. I can be sure it'll take no more than a week."

"A week?" he repeated. "But my wedding is in less than eight days."

"I'll be sure to add tailoring your tuxedo on the top of my list," she guaranteed as she was putting away her measuring tape and needles back in the kit. "You can change back to your clothes now, Kamui-san."

Worried, he quickly dressed back to his work clothes. Once he came out and handed the woman his tuxedo, Gakupo quickly blurted, "Can I come by each day to see the progress?" He was nervous when he saw her shot a curious look at him. Then he added, "My fiancée wants a perfect suit and I just want to-"

"Its fine," the woman assured. "I open at five."

_That early?_ He thought wearily as he was disgusted by the idea of waking up to greet blackened morning skies. Clearly lying through his teeth Gakupo said, "Great, I'll see you tomorrow then." He bid the pink-haired tailor a good night and walked back home in the midst of evening. Unaware, the woman was standing near the glass door where she watched him walk under the glimmering city lights with a rare smile on her face.

* * *

He returned to apartment with a dreary look on his face. Gakupo wasn't sure how long he could possibly last walking fifteen blocks back and forth, but part of him felt it would be wrong completely blow off his promise to Megurine-san. Opening the door, he weakly greeted his green-haired fiancée who was sitting crossed-legged on one of the ebony leather chaises while reading a wedding magazine.

"Where have you been, darling?" she asked without looking up. The sharp tone in her voice indicated she had been waiting for him for many hours.

Gakupo lied, "I was with Kaito." He was aware of her easily jealous nature and decided what happened at the tailors' shop shouldn't be much of a concern to her. _No one wants a troubled bride,_ thought the soon-to-be-married purple-haired man.

"You weren't attending one of those… repulsive bachelor parties?" She assumed with clear distaste in her cynical apple green eyes. However Gakupo's eyes flickered towards the ring she was wearing. It was the same antique ring his parents requested for him to give to her before they passed away.

Sighing, he replied with an empty smile, "Not at all, Gumi."

* * *

The following day, he returned to the pink-haired tailor and even the days after that as he told her that he would. It somehow even made him see his fiancée less as he arrived him later than usual and walk by her with a few words of "have a good day" or "I love you too."

Kamui Gakupo learned quite a bit during these last few visits. He learned her full name was Megurine Luka. He learned Luka was a picky eater based on her bento boxed lunches consisted of raw tuna, white rice, and steamed chingensai. Based on Luka's regular colossal appetite for tuna, he predicted the notable Japanese Northern Bluefin tuna will be extinct in less than twenty years in Japan. There was a major thing he learned about her too. He somewhat learned the reason why she wore bandages over her eyes.

"Oh these?" she asked and placed a hand over the left eye. "I was quite a reckless driver."

He tried to picture her driving carelessly on the roads and getting into a car accident or collision of some sort, but the idea of her as a potential dangerous driver didn't seem to input in his head. Then his queries lead the purple-haired man to think about what color her eyes were. _Were they pale green? Perhaps they were umber tinted?_ Instead of mentioning one of his questions, he went on to ask, "Are you able to walk out on the streets?"

"No." Her reply was as simple and blunt as that.

"Have you considered getting surgery for your eyes?" he suddenly blurted. _Why do I care?_

She faced him and guessed her expression would be astonished. Luka said, "I have... but there's no point to it."

"How come?"

"Well it's..." she hesitated for a second and let her voice trail off. "It's complicated to explain and I'm quite... satisfied with my lifestyle."

"I understand," he fibbed. That day ended quietly from there.

On the fourth day, she began to use her voice more.

"May I ask why did you purchase a suit that is two times larger than you?"

Gakupo laughed and replied, "I was quite overweight when I bought it."

"Ah didn't think you would have to slim down for the wedding so soon, huh?" Luka asked.

"Not quite. You see, she's doesn't want a wedding picture where she stands beside a fat guy."

However on the fifth day, the two were talking again, but at a rather different topic.

"You're here rather early again, Kamui-san," Luka noted. She pulled out his encased tuxedo from the rack. "I'm almost finished with your suit."

"That's wonderful," he replied, smiling a bit. Pulling out his wallet, he said. "I'll pay now. How much is it?"

"Thirty-five."

"That's preposterous," Gakupo argued. "I know mending suits under a specific time limit cost at least sixty dollars and that suit looks like its been dry cleaned and ironed since the last time I brought it here. I'll pay three hundred."

He held out the bills to her, but instead she placed a small hand over his and shook her head. Luka answered, "Marriage is quite pricy and I've heard couples usually go broke after the honeymoon.

To this Gakupo chuckled at her reason before explaining, "Oh I see, but I still want to pay you back and money isn't an issue with me." He warmly smiled at her and made her grasp the money in her hands.

A subtle blush to creep to her pale cheeks, painting them in a faint crimson hue as she put the money into a metal box hidden before placing it back safely under the counter. Luka then quietly resumed saying, "Thank you, Kamui-san."

It was a day from his wedding. He returned to the shop to see Luka and noticed she was wrapping red string around her hand.

"Good day, Kamui-san," she acknowledged politely before continuing to untangle her fingers as a hassle.

He nodded and greeted back, "Good day to you too, Megurine-san. May I ask if my suit is ready yet?" She pointed to the parcel lying flat on the counter, but before he could walk over to fetch it; his attention was brought to the mess on her hands. "Need help with that?"

Luka sighed. "I'm able to sew and know everything in this room with vision that is no different than a blind bat and yet, I can't untangle myself from a simple knot." Smiling gently, he attempted to slip the strings from her fingers.

"Damn," he muttered as his own fingers were caught as well. "You're not the only inept one." Seeing how his and Luka's finger can be removed from the tangle if they pulled specific strands of loose string. Gakupo then directed, "On the count of three, I want you to pull towards you as hard as you can." The pink-haired woman nodded her head and waited for his command.

"One, two, three!" Both of them jerked their wrists back as far as they could. The strings slipped from their knuckles until one strand of red intertwined their finger. Shock slapped their faces to realize that they were both bound by their pinkies of their left hands. Despite the dozens of knots and tangles from the previous struggles, their hands were aligned perfectly by the same position of their encircled pinkie fingers as a ring drawn to each other.

"This is-"she managed to stutter. "Oh how clumsy of me!" Luka nervously giggled as she used her other hand to slip off the string.

Snapping out of his state of confusion, he chucked, "Don't worry about it." Once the two were no longer tangled together, Gakupo looked down at his watch. "I uh- better get going." He gave her back the tangled string, which she tossed back into her sewing kit.

"Ah yes," she nodded and smiled. "Don't keep your love waiting." Luka handed him his tuxedo encased for protection.

"I wouldn't say love."

She raised a brow to his claim and then proceeded to say, "One shouldn't deny their true feelings."

"I know, "he said, but then quickly changed the topic. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

She bit her bottom, lip and left her hand on the bandages. "Yes, we'll see each other soon."

"That's great, Megurine-san. Have a good night." He bowed politely before walking out into the empty streets.

* * *

"Out again with Kaito?" she asked suspiciously.

Once again the purple-haired man nodded and continued hanging his coat without a word.

"You know, Kaito called for you an hour ago."

He froze in front of the door frame. "Did he really?"

"Yeah, he called asking if you could come over," Gumi sighed. "She didn't see me."

Gakupo stood still.

"I know you're not comfortable with this marriage and neither am I," the green-haired woman admitted. "I'm not comfortable with the idea of being married to someone who doesn't want to be married to me.

"I understand this is a hard choice for you to do, but if you truly know that you cannot carry out this promise, at least tell me," Gumi begged. "Just tell me"

Instead he couldn't tell her. Gakupo walked away, leaving her alone to quietly cry by herself.

* * *

That night he laid there beside the sleeping form of his soon-to-be wife. With eyes unyielding to the drowsiness of sleep, he stared at the ceiling with memories flooding in his skull.

"_Otou-san!" he cried out to his father's disheveled, bloody body. The prime minister was dead in his own blood with a hollow hole through his chest cavity. He bore no heart, no beat, and no pain. With his bruise-colored lids closed, he looked eerily peaceful for a man whose heart was taken out. As amazed as young Gakupo was, his mother's piercing screams shattered his mind. He watched her fall to her knees and sob hysterically._

"_He's dead! He's DEAD, oh dear God! HE'S DEAD!" Her voice was hoarse and shrilling. Her eyes were no longer clear and prudent blue, but rather clouding with disorder and altered mental status. _

"_Mama! Mama!" Gakupo begged and tried to catch her attention by tugging the hem of her skirt. However his mother whipped her head to let loose tresses of violet messily splattered over her bewildered eyes that bulged out with madness, which terrified the young purple-haired boy. _

_She pointed an accused finger at him and shrieked, "You! Why did you have to live?" His mother began to stab her finger deeper into where his heart would be. He tried to recoil from his mother's harsh words and sharp jabs. "Why did you live? Why not him, huh? Why didn't you die? WHY DID HE HAVE TO DIE?" He watched his mother been dragged away and beaten by the police as he cried._

His grasp tightened on the sheets, leaving wrinkled marks of his palms.

"_Will she recover?" he asked, hoping there was a cure._

_The hospital doctors looked puzzled at each other and sadly replied, "It's up to her to decide." They allowed him to see her in her room. She was standing up straight while covered in bandages over her legs and arms. Her long violet hair was let down to her waist as messy knots and to him, his mother looked angelic._

_The purple-haired boy ran to his frail mother and hugged her waist. "Mother!" He looked up to see her large empty pupils. As if her soul escaped from her being, she looked dead. Not a single wisp of the old free-spirited vitality was in her anymore._

"_Gaku-kun," she stated flatly. _

"_Mama, please come home," he begged and cried into her dress. "I don't want to be alone!" He felt his mother's cold, stiff fingers through his hair._

"_My child," she softly murmured. "You are not alone. Father is watching you and I too will be watching you. You are never alone, my son." He had an incredulous expression on his face when his mother kissed him on the top of his head. She then slowly walked towards the window and opened it to unleash an autumn breeze into the room. Sighing, she said, "The air is so inviting. Don't you think so, Gaku-kun?"_

_He quickly shook his head._

"_It's cool and smells refreshing," she replied, smiling at the sky. Then she opened it wide enough for her to fit and stand on the ledge of the window. "It's so blue and empty in the sky, honey. It's perfect for departing." Her voice lowered where Gakupo could only hear his heartbeat._

"_Please don't." _

_She looked back at him with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Nothing could be as serene or gentle as his mother was .He was mesmerized by such rare beauty that he wasn't aware of her purpose..._

"_Do what is right," she whispered back. He caught a glimpse of a small tear rolling down her cheek before she plunged right to the ground from the seventh floor of St. Luke's Hospital. A few months after his mother's suicide jump, he received his father's letter about the arranged marriage with Gumi during the midst of New Year's. It was then, Gakupo understood his mother's final message... or did he?_

At four in the morning, his face was buried into his pillow to cover his tears and muffled cries.

* * *

He splashed cold water onto his face. Staring at his reflection, he could say his mother would be horrified to see him resemble his father. He thanked God Gumi left to prepare for the ceremony with her friends. She can't see him at this state, unready for the marriage. She liked everything to be on-time, consistent, and prepared unlike him.

Once Gakupo was clean, he miserably dressed in his tailored white tuxedo that Luka dedicated most of her time on. How the sleeves and the pants fit on his body perfectly amazed him as a blind tailor achieved this for him. Why was he thinking of her?

* * *

Throughout the ceremony, he couldn't bear to look at her eyes. He knew Gumi was looking at him sadly so instead, he stared at the small pink flower pinned in her hair. It somehow comforted him nostalgically. The minister then inquired, "Do you take Gakupo as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," the green-haired answered as fully as she could. She watched him remorsefully for his turn.

Turning to him, the minister asked, "Do you, Kamui Gakupo take Gumi as your lawfully wedded wife?"

The pressure was killing him. His hands lost feeling as they were grasping hers. _Say it. Say it. Say the two words,_ he reminded himself. _You can say it. You have to say it. You must say it!_

I.

I...

"_One shouldn't deny their true feelings."_

"I can't."

Gasps echoed throughout the church, but the loudest one would have to be Gumi's and she withdrew from his touch.

His best man Kaito yelled, "What are you doing, you idiot?"

"How could you?" the blonde haired maid of honor cried out. _Someone won't be catching the bouquet anytime soon._

"I honestly can't," he repeated. "I'm sorry to everything... to the minister... to the people who came... to the Megpoid family... and most of all you, Gumi. I'm sorry for humiliating you in public like this."

He looked for anger or even more tears to guilt him further in life, but instead he saw her smile sincerely. "Thank you," she said and kissed him on the cheek. "Go to her."

* * *

Long legs were sprinting towards the same way they were walking for the past week. A burning pain was filling in his lungs, but he refused to stop for a breath. He had to see her.

When he arrived, he was aware the door was wide-open. _How unusual_, he thought and walked into the shop. A desolate feeling washed over him as he searched for her.

"Megurine-san!" he called out and rang the bell. No one seemed to be hiding in the backroom. Curiously, he snuck into the secretive room that he first saw Luka hiding in. A cast of red enveloped him once he brushed past the beaded doorway.

Assorted, exotic objects decorated the closet sized backroom. Some of these objects within her room were antique or impossible to find such as the cherry blossom crystal hairpin lying on top of the cherry oak vanity or the silver candle holder on the drawer that held different sketches of dresses. What caught his attention was the variety of newspaper clippings posted on the east wall. Taking a closer look at them, Gakupo examined an article dated back around fifteen years ago. It was particularly odd for Luka to possessed parts of old newspapers even dated back fifty years from when she was born.

Once he walked out of her backroom, he went over to the sewing kit that was lying on the stool he once stood on. Gakupo couldn't resist opening it. _She won't get upset if I took a peek at her needles. _Opening the lid, disbelief drained the color from his face when he saw it.

_Impossible..._

There within the lightweight sewing kit was the same string with their pinkie sized loops at both ends. All of the tangles and knots Luka had difficulty with were became a straightened strand of string. With awe, he pulled out the string and just muttered, "How could she have done this?" He heard small steps like the sound of rain falling near him.

"It's good to see you, Kamui Gakupo." Looking towards the direction of the voice at front doorway, he was looking into familiar, serene eyes of cyan blue and smiled back.

"Same to you, Megurine Luka."

* * *

**A/N – **This certainly took longer than I expected **._. **

Lucky you if you understoof the Japanese version of the Red String of Fate (hence the title)! Remember it's left hand and on the pinkie finger for the Japanese rather than the Chinese version of the ankle. It symbolizes fated lovers or soulmates, which is also seen in the Just Be Friends video. The string may be tangled or endlessly long, but it's impossible to break.

Comment or review your thoughts please. And look forward to the next update in a bit~


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